


Unmask the Truth

by kpopismydrug



Series: Their Beautiful Lies [3]
Category: So Nyuh Shi Dae | Girls' Generation, Super Junior
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Gen, old fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-08
Updated: 2013-09-08
Packaged: 2017-12-26 01:21:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/959916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kpopismydrug/pseuds/kpopismydrug
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Every bloodline has its own story, its own world. There are many rules and traditions in the vampire world. Rules that are constricting to who you socialise with, who you should hate, and who you need to avoid. The choice is tough one. Either way, you’ll become someone’s enemy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unmask the Truth

**Author's Note:**

> Eunhyuk's and Sungmin's story.

_There are many rules and traditions in the vampire world. Rules that are constricting to who you socialise with, who you should hate, and who you need to avoid. There are traditions that each bloodline has and follows religiously, or chooses to throw them away now that the era is somewhat freer and less constrained as it had been in the past._

_But every bloodline has its own story, its own world. They create and enforce personal rules upon the ones that they already have to obey from being born as a vampire._

_To be born as a vampire isn’t glamorous. Especially for some bloodlines that are more in-tune with their vampire instincts and needs._

_It’s these bloodlines that most vampire families stay far away from._

 

 

 

 

 

Eunhyuk’s stomach twisted with dread when he saw the human pet rushing down the driveway of their property towards him.

 

They’re the same age, but from completely different worlds.

 

The human boy was only fifteen, taken from a small orphanage that was in their town. No one noticed his disappearance, the orphanage had been overcrowded, and the boy was due to leaving anyway, since it was coming up to his sixteenth birthday.

 

Not that it would’ve mattered if someone had noticed. Eunhyuk was certain that his father would’ve issued someone to kill whoever opposed his idea of taking the boy.

 

The boy’s name used to be Taemin, but his father renamed him as Pet 04, banning the usage of his real name.

 

Eunhyuk still called him by his name when it was just them two alone, but in the company of others, he forced himself to call the human by his father’s degrading title.

 

Eunhyuk hated pets, hated their role that has been part of their world for centuries.

 

When a vampire takes a human - or another vampire who is from a weak bloodline - as their pet, the human or vampire is theirs until the vampire has grown tired of feeding from them. They have to refer to their owner as Master, calling them respectively by that title alone, and obey whatever is asked from them.

 

A pet is basically seen as a blood slave, completely different to the position of a Feeder who is willing to share their blood.  

 

Eunhyuk has always thought that the whole concept of owning someone was disgusting and immoral. He made the mistake of voicing this when he was younger, and immediately got a ‘lesson’ from his older siblings about speaking out of line, and also disrespecting his father’s choices.

 

The lesson wasn’t very inspiring, unless you think that being lashed across your bare back twenty times is particularly inspiring.

 

So Eunhyuk learnt to keep his thoughts to himself, preferring not to wake up to blooded bed sheets every morning after a ‘lesson’.

 

Due to his views of owning a human or vampire as a pet, he’s the only one in his bloodline that will always treat his father’s pets with kindness whenever he can afford it.

 

This was incredibly dangerous and risky for Eunhyuk to do, since if he ever got caught showing kindness to _anything_ , he would be punished.

 

Also, because of his attitude to it, he has yet to be given a pet.

 

His siblings had all owned one or two at some point in their lives, but Eunhyuk has been lucky without being given one. He knows that one day he will be forced to own one, and it’ll be that day that Eunhyuk will either die by his father’s hands for refusing his ‘gift’, or he’ll die for letting the poor soul escape.

 

Taemin was in front of him now, and Eunhyuk’s stomach churned with unease at smelling the mixed blood and scents clinging to the material of Taemin’s thin clothing.

 

“Who?” Eunhyuk asked tiredly whilst shifting his school bag from his shoulder and giving it to Taemin’s awaiting hands.

 

Eunhyuk pointedly ignored the purpling bruise that was starting to take shape across Taemin’s left cheek as he handed his black jacket to the teenager as well.

 

“It’s Taecyeon, sir.” Taemin hastily told him as he struggled to keep up with Eunhyuk’s vampire speed as he moved towards his home.

 

Eunhyuk didn’t pause, even though he was surprised to hear of his older cousin from the city being here.

 

His father’s territory was near the mountains, and the town that they lived in was under his reign, meaning the lower bloodlines were extremely cautious with his family’s presence and avoided the section of the town that their home was located in.

 

The humans were unaware of their existence; until the point his father would send someone to retrieve a new pet – because he had grown tired of his previous ones or was far too rough on the human, or to kill someone who had unknowingly crossed a line and learnt of their existence.

 

Most of his family still remained in the area or just outside of the town that was still part of his father’s territory, but for some - like his cousin - they moved further afield, which often led to his father feeling betrayed.

 

Eunhyuk’s family doesn’t accept betrayal very well, and Eunhyuk knew what was going on inside his home with regards to his cousin.

 

He dismissed Taemin as soon as he entered the dark, grand foyer of his home, and watched as the teenager hurried up the left side of dark wooden staircase.

 

There were two staircases, one on either side of the double doors that stood between them, and as Taemin disappeared from the landing, Eunhyuk could hear some of the other humans doing their other job of maintaining the upkeep of the house.

 

As he moved towards the black double doors, he heard a shocked gasp come from a female somewhere in one of the dozen bedrooms that were located upstairs.

 

She must’ve seen the developing bruise on Taemin’s face, and judging by a click of a door shutting, she was trying to be discreet in her task of finding out the reason for the bruise.

 

He heard the front doors locking system click as one of his cousin’s controlled it from the control room deep in the house, and Eunhyuk’s good mood from school went away for good as he held his palm up to the small silver panel next to the black doors.

 

Pressing his palm to the cool metal, Eunhyuk no longer winced to the slight burn that was made to his palm from the not-so-discreet hand scanner, and as the sound of mechanical whirring unlocked the complicated locks that were hidden inside the thick doors, Eunhyuk was granted access into the heart of the house.

 

Why the security? Eunhyuk used to wonder that when he was a child, watching as his older siblings or other members of his family disappeared through the doors, and seeing them reappear with injuries they didn’t have beforehand.

 

But once he turned eight, he found out the reason why, and that behind those black doors, lay his bloodline’s true world.  

 

The way his house was built meant that there were only three main areas. The top floor where they slept in and had numerous of empty rooms for guests that they never have, the ground floor with the grand dark foyer and two extensions on either side that expanded the living area, and the kitchen & dining area.

 

The colour scheme was the same throughout the house. Rich, dark tones made up the walls and upholstery, their furniture being made from either timber or oak to keep the style classic and traditional. It was only the kitchen that was modern and bright. 

 

But the scheme changed for the last floor. Upstairs was traditional; everything you’d expect of living with a male who loved the old styling he had grown up with, but what lay past those black doors was something completely different.

 

Eunhyuk stared down the stone staircase, the cold air beginning to circulate around him as he forced his feet to take him down to the last floor.

 

He allowed his feet to make some noise so that it broke up the stillness as he made his way down the stairs, ignoring the hidden motion senses and the other security nonsense that were hidden on either side of the walls as he went down.

 

For a bloodline that was mostly feared due to their violence and brutality, you would think his father wouldn’t bother with all this high technology stuff. But true to the blood running through their veins, Eunhyuk’s older siblings had gotten under their father’s skin with concerns that it would make him look like a fool to have no security, especially for the underground section of the house.

 

What used be a normal basement had been changed and developed so that, what greeted you after you transverse down the twenty stone steps, was another welcoming foyer.

 

The walls were made of large stones that were various shades of grey, the mortar matching the colour and making the walls look flawless. The foyer floor was made of slate tiles, which didn’t have the under floor heating that the upper floors had in the house.  

 

No, this section of the house was meant to be cold and confining. Just like its purpose.

 

Eunhyuk moved through the small archway that was directly in line with the staircase, the archway had been carved into the stone wall with no style other than to keep some jagged stone edges near the roof of the arch, and immediately flinched at the sound of a body being thrown into one of the cells from the next room echoed throughout the room.

 

This is why his siblings wanted security for this area.

 

The room was nothing more but a modern take of a dungeon, a waiting area for those who have been or about to be punished by his father.

 

The room was small and slightly narrow, with three cells on each side. Each cell only held a metal bed with basic bedding, nothing else was needed, no toilet or sink, since you were either unconscious from the beating you had received, or you were just being held there to be prosecuted.

 

The cells bars were made of reinforced steel, altered to accommodate vampires, and since there were no windows, this meant the only form of lighting came from the circular wall fixtures that were in each cell.

 

The lights were small, so not much would be lit when they were on, which meant the cells were often casted in shadows.

 

They had a blue hue, which again, meant visibility in the cells would be poor. But for the pathway that lead through the cells to another double door, the lights were built into the slate flooring, but they were the same as the ones in the cells.

 

This whole section was supposed to be dark and foreboding, and from past experiences, Eunhyuk can truthfully say that it worked.

 

The fear and anticipation would make it feel like it was choking you as you waited in these cells, constantly looking at the locked double doors, and waiting for the horror that lay behind them to come for you.

 

There was a crowd of bodies huddling around the middle cell on the right side, watching the fight that was currently happening inside.

 

They were blocking the lights on the pathway floor, making the room darker as Eunhyuk darted down the pathway to intervene in the fighting that was raging inside the cell.

 

Blood and sweat clung to the air, the scent of his brother and Taecyeon’s blood fuelled the other male vampires’ as they jeered for Eunhyuk’s brother to teach Taecyeon a lesson for moving away and crawling back home.

 

After shoving the vampires out of his way, Eunhyuk stepped into the confined space and immediately gained their attention.

 

Before his brother could bark a command at Eunhyuk as he and Taecyeon continued to brutally hit each other, Eunhyuk used his smaller build to weave between the two, and unhooked his brother from their cousin.

 

A fist smashed into Eunhyuk’s jaw – no doubt his brother’s - but he refused to let go of his brother as he manhandled the male from out of the cell, causing the other vampires to snarl at Eunhyuk for spoiling the fight as he shoved his way through them.

 

The cell opposite Taecyeon’s was open, so Eunhyuk forced his struggling, livid brother into it, and before he could stop him, Eunhyuk locked his older sibling inside.

 

“You should’ve let them finish!” one male barked angrily at Eunhyuk with his hands raised to shove Eunhyuk, but daring not to.

 

Eunhyuk didn’t have the same qualms about laying his hands on the male as he shoved the male from him, his temper flaring due to the ridiculous scene.

 

“Do you have clearance to be down here?” He snarled, getting into the male’s face, his intimidation forcing the other males to step back.

 

The other vampires immediately stilled at his question, which gave him his answer.

 

Eunhyuk’s palms punched the vampire’s chest, propelling the male into his group of friends.

 

“You’ve collected and deposited your bounty, now get lost.” Eunhyuk snarled as he moved to Taecyeon’s cell. “Unless you wish to stay until my father comes down, in which he’ll demand to know why there is scum inside his home?” he added as he crouched down to help up Taecyeon, who had collapsed onto the floor at some point, and gently helped him onto the bed.

 

His brother was shouting abusive names as the other vampires raced from the room, and Eunhyuk gritted his teeth to prevent him from snapping something at his immature excuse of a sibling.

 

“I should’ve known he would’ve put a price on my head,” Taecyeon gritted through his teeth, and Eunhyuk moved aside as he spat blood onto the slate floor.

 

“Just wait till I get my hands on you, you bastard!” Eunhyuk’s brother yelled at him before Eunhyuk could reply to his cousin, and Eunhyuk’s little patience for his brother finally snapped.

 

“What are you going to do, huh?!” He yelled back, his body shaking with repressing fury as he stared down his sibling that was clutching the bars of the cell door, “this is my job, not yours, Junsu,” he continued as he stalked towards his brother.

 

“And you weren’t here to do your job!” His brother spat at him. “You were too busy playing with that Lee scum!”

 

Eunhyuk rushed to the bars, his hands easily slipping through to grasp his brother’s brown hair and smacking his brother’s face off the steel bars before he had a chance to react to Eunhyuk.

 

“Fuck!” his brother cursed as Eunhyuk’s school uniform splattered with blood from Junsu’s busted nose.

 

“The only scum that is known as a Lee, is you,” he growled as his brother tried to stop the bleeding from his nose.

 

“You two will never play nice, will you?” his father’s voice travelled from where he was coming down the stone steps, and Eunhyuk forced his unwilling body to bow in respect as his father approached the cell area.

 

“Your son failed to do his job.” Junsu muttered nasally as he held a hand to his weeping nose.

 

“Your son needs to be kept inside that cage since he’s dangerous to society,” Eunhyuk muttered as he glared back at his sibling, whose lip curled at his comment.

 

“I can hear both of you quite clearly,” his father warned as he brushed past Eunhyuk, whilst ignoring Junsu’s request of him letting out of the cell.

 

His father pressed his hand against another silver panel near the double doors, and once the locks inside the door were released, he opened them both to reveal the darkness waiting inside.

 

Eunhyuk swallowed as he began to feel the new cold air leak from the room, and before his father disappeared into the darkness, he lifted his right hand and wiggled two fingers for him to follow.

 

The gesture marked the start of his job, and as Eunhyuk moved to retrieve Taecyeon’s stiff form, he left all thoughts behind in the cell room as he half dragged; half carried his cousin after his father.

 

The darkness swallowed them immediately, the flooring turning from slate to dirt, and filling the air with the scent that had failed to soak up the years of spilled blood and fear.

 

The doors shut behind him automatically - the timer had run its course - and as he heard the locks click home, he steeled his spine so that his cousin’s shaking body didn’t affect his stance.

 

He could feel his eyes changing again to the dark conditions, but this darkness wasn’t like the cell room, this darkness was thick and unrelenting.

 

“Drop him.”

 

Eunhyuk did as his father ordered.

 

When Taecyeon grunted as he landed onto the cold dirt floor, Eunhyuk placed his hands behind his back, his feet shoulder width apart, and kept his body tall and unmoving.

 

The stance was to show he was here to guard and wait, not to help.

 

Memories of himself being in Taecyeon’s position tried to infiltrate his mind, make him feel the same fear that was causing his cousin to be speaking frantically as he crawled to the dominating presence in front of them.

 

 “You know the rules.” His father stated. His tone was cold and harsh, cutting through Eunhyuk as more memories tried to gain his attention.

 

But only one memory succeeded.

 

 

_His uncle was shining a flashlight onto Eunhyuk’s body, acting as a spotlight for their show._

_Despite their cruel reasons why they had it, it helped Eunhyuk as he tried to keep track of the thing that was scuttling around him in the darkness._

_His palms and knees were grazed from the harsh dirt floor, his ribs protesting with every inhale as he determinedly kept his senses on his attacker in the darkness._

_“Again,” his father demand coldly._

_Eunhyuk’s spine turned to steel as he braced himself as the scuttling darted from his left and to his right._

_As he spun to deflect the attack, the flashlight went off and he was plunged into darkness._

_Crazed, red eyes were an inch away from his own; his arms locked and trembled with fatigue to keep his attacker from pinning him again._

_But Eunhyuk was determined to win. He’d not let it or them defeat him._

_He’ll show them how he’ll accept this ‘birthday gift’._

 

A sickening crack followed his father’s words, bringing Eunhyuk from the memory as Taecyeon’s howl of pain echoed through the endless darkness.

 

Eunhyuk stared straight ahead of him, focusing on nothing but emptiness as Taecyeon’s throat released more cries of pain and begging.

 

Something heavy brushed against his legs, and Eunhyuk stiffened as he realised what his father had released into the room with them.

 

He couldn’t control his heart from racing with fear as the creature moved around him, sniffing him, and grumbling with familiarity as it inhaled his scent.

 

“I’m not your toy today,” Eunhyuk whispered sternly into the darkness, Taecyeon’s begging pausing as Eunhyuk’s whisper floated towards him.

 

He could hear his cousin take a large inhale of air, and knew immediately when realisation hit him, because the begging came back faster and more desperate.

 

“Is this what my bloodline has become like?” His father snarled in disgust, and Eunhyuk breathed through the flinch that his body made as another one of Taecyeon’s bones was snapped.

 

The creature bumped into Eunhyuk again, and he bit his lip as he tried to control his body’s natural response to tense with panic and fear now that the thing was leaning comfortably against his legs.

 

The creature stank of stale urine, vomit, and just general uncleanness.

 

The scent was absolutely revolting. It was starting to make Eunhyuk sick as he tried not to think about it touching his clothes.

 

“You only have one hour with our guest,” his father spoke in a commanding tone, and Eunhyuk felt the creature stiffen as it realised his father was speaking to it. 

 

As the creature moved from Eunhyuk’s legs and forwards, his father’s presence moved towards and passed him.

 

The scent of Taecyeon’s blood was already beginning to fill the air, but it was stronger around his father, whose hands were no doubt covered in it.

 

The sounds of the doors unlocking again joined the sound of Taecyeon’s panicking pants and whimpers of pain as he tried to move around the dirt floor, trying to put as much distance between him and the creature that was tracking him.

 

The doors opened, allowing the dim blue light from the cells to creep pathetically into the dark room.

 

Eunhyuk caught sight of his cousin, just as Taecyeon caught sight of the creature that was on all fours and was just ten steps away from him.

 

“Don’t make a mess,” his father warned as he left the room.

 

The creature’s spine was protruding out of the pale skin that showed every speck of dirt and other disgusting substances. The bumps of its spine looked like it would break through the skin at any sharp movement, but as it continued to stalk Taecyeon, the skin remained unbroken.

 

Its arms and legs were thin, with the joints sticking out. Just like how its spine was. Its hands and toes were black, due to the dirt and from dried blood that belonged to it and others, but Eunhyuk knew from experience that it owned a lethal set of claws that it would unsheathe when needed.

 

It was naked, giving you the only answer of it being a male, since it no longer looked like a man.

 

“Help me,” Taecyeon suddenly pleaded to Eunhyuk, tears and sweat causing his face to shine and attract the loose dirt.

 

Eunhyuk swallowed as he felt three sets of eyes on him. The first being Taecyeon’s bloodshot, desperate and pained eyes. Then his father’s burning gaze, since he had paused at Taecyeon’s pleading, and lastly, the creature that was curiously staring at him.

 

He really shouldn’t call it a creature when - somewhere in the past - it had been a normal healthy male vampire, a vampire who had made a mistake, which cost him his life and his sanity.

 

This is what a vampire looks like when you have not only just broken it down with fear and torture, but also repeatedly starved it along the way. If you have the power to break something and then begin to manipulate it to your control and demand as you ‘fix’ it, this is the outcome you will get.

 

This is what his father did.

 

This is what made people fear their bloodline.

 

They are not only are capable of breaking you, but they are capable of turning you into a thing that no longer lives.

 

The vampire resembled an animal now, running on instinct and listening to its owner, his father.

 

The creature was skin and bone, proving how long it had been since his last meal. It will kill and play havoc with the creature’s control to leave Taecyeon in one piece, but his father had order no mess and the creature had to obey.

 

The creature’s red, blood thirsty eyes narrowed at him in warning, and Eunhyuk dropped his eyes as he slowly back out of the room.

 

Eunhyuk braced himself as the creature roared with glee and hunger as it moved towards its prey, and as he slipped through the doors and saw his father smiling at him, Eunhyuk felt vomit rise in his throat.

 

Just before the doors could shut, Taecyeon’s ear piercing scream escaped, stabbing through Eunhyuk’s soul.

 

“Don’t come back in an hour’s time,” his father ordered, and Eunhyuk stiffly nodded as he fought to keep his stomach contents down, “Let’s leave it for a few days before we clean up his body.”

 

His father’s pleased chuckle followed him as he left the cells, echoing through the foyer as he started up the stairs.

 

It caused Eunhyuk’s skin to shrivel.

 

“Imagine the smell, little brother,” his brother teased, his nose no longer bleeding as he leered at Eunhyuk.

 

“Let me know how it starts,” Eunhyuk growled as shadows ate up his body, and he smirked as his brother screamed for him to release him as he left the room via his power as a Shadow Shifter.

 

One of the perks of being a guard is that he and his father are the only ones who can unlock the cells.

 

But that is the only perk of his role of living in this house.

 

The other role Eunhyuk played, he hated with a passion.

 

 

 

_But for some bloodlines, which are neither weak nor powerful, they find themselves caught in the middle._

_For bloodlines that are in this situation, the choice of who they befriend and support will stay with their bloodline, cementing their role in a contract which if it was to be broken, will result in severe consequences._

_The choice is tough one. Either way, you’ll become someone’s enemy._

_But sometimes, the choice is taken from out of their hands._

 

 

Staring at his open partially packed suitcase, Sungmin heaved a long sigh as he dropped his neat pile of shirts into it.

 

The time had come for him to leave. He was sixteen, the age where vampires were enrolled into a boarding school that will house them for the remainder of their high school years.

 

Normally, you would enrol in these schools as soon as you turned sixteen, but for one month prior or after your sixteenth birthday, you were allowed to sample other boarding schools before enrolling into a school that you were comfortable with.

 

Sungmin had just finished his month long tour of sampling boarding schools, and he had made his decision on where he wanted to go.

 

His choice was to enrol at Park Academy.

 

Park Academy was different from the other boarding vampire schools. Park Academy not only housed vampires, but it also housed humans.

 

The school’s desire and aim was to stop the isolation between the two races, and encourage vampires to train themselves against their instincts that flared up around human contact.

 

It was a school, but also a test. If you were able to stay and act civilly with each other – without the vampires terrifying the humans - then you gained the valuable skill of self control that most vampires were lacking.

 

But the school wasn’t just training the vampires.

 

Since Sungmin had decided to accept this as his school for the next two years, he was allowed to stay a full week at the school, because of this, he saw another reason why the humans were there.

 

Park Academy held a dark, overlooked secret.

 

The majority of the humans that they allowed to enrol here were from families that had been here in the past - but there were some students that were from fresh families who had been recommended by those who had been here beforehand.

 

Due to the school’s elite rating and reputation, it meant these students were able to have a shining recommendation when they applied for jobs or universities.

 

But what lay behind that shiny promise of future success was something that would be kept with them for the rest of their lives, as well as their families.

 

The vampires were trained to behave around humans, and the humans were - unknowingly - being trained to become Feeders.

 

The humans were told that it was seen as a way to pay tuition, by helping the vampires train their self-control when it came to feeding, but in reality, they were being trained to be Feeders.

 

Sungmin only knew of this because he had signed the contract to join the school. The school kept their human students’ role a secret for those who were just staying a few nights; it was only when you accepted to enrol, would you learn the reason of why the humans were here.

 

Sungmin wasn’t interested in feeding from them. He was just curious to how it would be like to live with humans who knew of his race.

 

From what he had seen, they weren’t afraid of the Elite class – which is what the vampire class was called – and made an effort to communicate with them during the one designated meal time that they shared.

 

Sungmin wouldn’t be going alone. His friend, Donghae, his cousin, and her friend were joining the school as well.

 

He’s met them a few times when he’s visited Donghae’s home, and they’re nice girls to get along with, so he won’t have to worry about being without friends at his new school.

 

Sungmin wondered how Jessica was faring with dealing with her family at her wish to attend the school, and knew that Donghae and Tiffany – Jessica’s best friend – were no doubt fighting along with her to get Jessica’s parents to accept her choice.

 

Jessica’s family were a little bit overbearing because of something that Jessica was unfortunately born with. This had led to her being isolated growing up, and only in the recent years has she been able to mingle with other vampires and make friends.

 

So, Sungmin wasn’t worried about making friends.

 

What he was worrying about was how he’s going to break the news to his other best friend that he was moving a fair bit away.

 

He glanced around his bedroom, eyeing the shadows as he moved to open his bedroom door, and glanced out into the corridor.

 

He could only hear his mother and Sungmin’s Feeder chatting in the living room down the corridor, he couldn’t hear any indication of his father being in their apartment, meaning that he had already left for work.

 

Satisfied that he wouldn’t be bothered for the rest of the night, Sungmin retreated back into his room and rested against his closed door.

 

Closing his eyes, Sungmin’s mind pictured the male whom he wanted to see.

 

He could feel a light itch in his eyes as he opened them again, and instead of seeing his bedroom, he saw his apartment building.

 

Sungmin’s head tilted in curiousness as he continued to watch his apartment building, taking note of the way people were avoiding the person whom he was currently looking through.

 

Sungmin couldn’t hear or feel the other person, but he knew the male felt a little saddened by the reaction from other vampires.

 

His apartment building vanished into darkness, and Sungmin turned to face the new presence in his room.

 

“You’ve just came back and you’re already packing to leave?” a male’s voice came from the shadows in his bedroom.

 

Sungmin saw the way his own body tensed through the male’s eyes, and removed his power from his friend who had just stepped from the shadows.

 

Annoyance was causing the normally warm, brown eyes to harden as Eunhyuk glowered at him, but what drew Sungmin’s attention and caused his heart to ram up into his throat, was the splattered blood on Eunhyuk’s uniform.

 

A deep inhale told Sungmin that the blood wasn’t fresh, but it belonged to someone from Eunhyuk’s family.

 

Eunhyuk’s family and bloodline were different from his own. Eunhyuk’s family was feared by many vampire families.

 

They feared the brutality and darkness that clung to the bloodline.

 

Sungmin knew all too well of the brutality. He didn’t need to see it with his own eyes, or listen to the stories that are passed through the town that Eunhyuk’s family controlled, he saw it every time he looked into his friend’s eyes; saw the pain, and the disgust of being born into a bloodline that made people fear him.

 

Eunhyuk wasn’t like his family members. Eunhyuk was different. Whereas his family were born without a heart and embraced the brute lifestyle of the bloodline, Eunhyuk was the only one who forced himself to live by his bloodline’s rules and ways.

 

Unlike his family members, he was born with a hidden heart. He cared about people’s feelings and didn’t like inflicting pain onto people. But living in the bloodline he was born in, he had to hide this side of him, and live as the person whom everyone expected him to be.

 

Sungmin has seen his friend been forced to do things, cruel acts of violence that still makes Eunhyuk feel ashamed.

 

Eunhyuk owns two roles in his family. Both roles require him to be someone that makes Sungmin’s heart break every time he sees the other persona that Eunhyuk is forced to have.  

 

Eunhyuk was in charge of, not only guarding the vampires and sometimes humans that were thrown into the underground jail in their home, but he also had to walk the streets of the town, enforcing his bloodline’s authority and control to lower bloodlines.

 

But Eunhyuk wasn’t known by his name around their town. He was known as the Intimidator. A name earned by performing acts of cruelty that Eunhyuk refuses to share with Sungmin.

 

But Sungmin knows, since he has watched through his friend’s eyes without him knowing.

 

Sungmin feels helpless every time he sees the fire in Eunhyuk’s eyes gradually dim as he slowly begins to immerse himself more in his Intimidator persona, leaving his true, kind self further behind.

 

Sungmin has known the family ever since Eunhyuk was eight; the reason for their meeting was something that had been planned for the past few years by both of their fathers.

 

Sungmin’s bloodline is neither powerful, nor is it weak. It’s only because of Sungmin’s father that their bloodline was stuck somewhere in the middle. But as the years progressed, and Sungmin’s own power began to appear, it only made it harder to choose where to place their bloodline.

 

The rule in their world for a bloodline that is in this situation - caught in the middle of the power line between bloodlines - you were forced to choose which side of the power line you would take and live in.

 

But Sungmin’s father didn’t get a chance to ponder over where to place their family.

 

Word somehow found its way to Eunhyuk’s family about his family’s bloodline power, and Sungmin’s father found himself being harassed by the ruler of the town.

 

By the age of eight, Sungmin’s power had already appeared and was already steadily developing, which meant Eunhyuk’s father became even more determined into capturing Sungmin’s bloodline.

 

The whole reason why Sungmin’s bloodline was being targeted by Eunhyuk’s father was because of the nature of their power.

 

Their power was to do with tracking and seeking, which all vampires came equipped to do, but not on the level that Sungmin’s bloodline was capable of doing.

 

Their power was related to the power of being able to read minds, only a little bit weaker.

 

His father is a Mind Tracker.

 

Sungmin’s father could track down a specific person’s mind with just a few details of the person whom he was seeking, and could keep a log of that person’s mind in his memory for future references. He can’t control or see the person’s thoughts. He can only lock onto the mind signals of that person and track down their location.

 

This is why they were stuck in the middle since his father’s power made it so that the bloodline was strong, but not strong enough to own its own place in the power line.

 

His father’s power enticed Eunhyuk’s family, which meant that if Sungmin’s bloodline allied with them, they would be able to use Sungmin’s father, and because of the nature of that bloodline, it would mean his father would be tracking down people who the Lee family were hunting.

 

His father had been trying to slow down the demands of him allying with Eunhyuk’s father, knowing that if he accepted, he would be casting his entire bloodline’s future into being feared and maybe shunned.

 

Sungmin’s family wasn’t a big family. Illnesses that had crossed over into his bloodline had killed off a lot of Sungmin’s family before he was born, so all that remained was just Sungmin and his parents.

 

But still, his father was worried about how his choice would affect Sungmin in the future.

 

Unfortunately, the choice was taken out of his hands the moment Sungmin’s power appeared.

 

Sungmin’s power is Sight Hacking.

 

Eunhyuk’s father had been ecstatic to learn that Sungmin’s power was not only better than his father’s, but it was the most powerful that their depleted bloodline had seen in a long time.

 

His father immediately did damage control and forced Eunhyuk’s father to leave Sungmin alone until he had finished high school, and that he would willingly offer his services to the Lee bloodline until Sungmin graduated.

 

Eunhyuk’s father approved, and Sungmin’s bloodline became allied with Eunhyuk’s.

 

This all became finalised when Sungmin was eight years old, with Eunhyuk being seven.

 

They didn’t meet until Eunhyuk’s eighth birthday party.

 

“Are you just going to stand there like a mute?” Eunhyuk pushed for an answer, and Sungmin ignored the male’s demanding, sarcastic tone, and threw his friend one of his t-shirts from the pile he had dropped into his suitcase.

 

“Change,” Sungmin ordered lightly to Eunhyuk as he moved his suitcase from his bed and onto his bedroom floor.

 

Something soft hit his back, and as he stood up, his hand retrieved the t-shirt that he had thrown at Eunhyuk.

 

“Wouldn’t want to deplete your stock of clothing,” Eunhyuk snarled bitterly when Sungmin sent him a questioning look, which quickly morphed into a frown.

 

“Don’t be like this, Hyuk.” Sungmin warned as he threw the t-shirt onto his bed that was separating them so that it was within Eunhyuk’s reach.

 

“Be like what?” Eunhyuk demanded, and Sungmin felt Eunhyuk’s glare burning him, just how his tone was attempting to do so. “You’re the one who is being all silent and mysterious.”

 

“I’m hardly being mysterious when it’s rule for us to move to a boarding school once we hit sixteen,” Sungmin scoffed as he levelled Eunhyuk with a stare that told him to lose his annoyance towards him.

 

“Nothing says that you have to move away straight after the tour.” Eunhyuk’s teeth were clenched, just as his fists were as he spoke.

 

“And nothing says that I have to stay either.” Sungmin pointed out, sighing when Eunhyuk glare hardened.

 

“God forbid that you have to stay in this town for a second longer than you have to, huh?” Eunhyuk’s chuckle wasn’t remotely humorous, but cold and angry.

 

“You’re twisting my words.” Sungmin’s patience was thinning from his best friend’s behaviour, a growl creeping into his tone.

 

“I’m only saying what lies behind them.”

 

“Okay then, smart arse, what lies behind my words?” Sungmin finally snapped, and Eunhyuk’s lips twisted into a pleased smirk that Sungmin only sees when his friend is using his other persona.

 

Sungmin cursed to himself at missing the transition.

 

“You can’t wait to leave this town.” Eunhyuk slowly began to creep around Sungmin’s bed towards him as he spoke, but Sungmin refused to back down at the intimidation.

 

“Neither can you.” Sungmin shot back.

 

“You can’t wait to see the back of my bloodline,” Eunhyuk continued without even acknowledging Sungmin’s retort.  

 

“I hate repeating myself,” Sungmin pointedly told him as he tried to reign in some calmness to the situation, and Eunhyuk’s hardened expression faltered.

 

Sungmin sighed softly. “I know what you’re doing,” he gently told his friend as he moved toward the still male.

 

The coldness in Eunhyuk’s eyes began to recede as guilt and shame lit his brown eyes.

 

“And I want you to stop it,” Sungmin continued, and placed a hand onto Eunhyuk’s broad shoulder.

 

The tension that was keeping Eunhyuk’s body rigid began to leave him, and Sungmin waited patiently for his friend to come back to him.

 

“This isn’t the way that you wanted to say goodbye,” Sungmin carried on as he brought the younger male into a hug, his arms wrapping protectively around him.

 

Hesitant hands gripped his back, and Sungmin closed his eyes as he felt the little shudder run through Eunhyuk’s body.

 

He wasn’t mad for Eunhyuk using his persona as a way to shield his true feelings of Sungmin leaving. He was just sad to see that his friend no longer thought about switching personas.

 

It’s become second nature to him now.

 

After years of fearing his family witnessing his real emotions, which were classed as a weakness in his bloodline, it was hard for Eunhyuk to freely show people his true side.

 

It’s only because of Sungmin’s power that he and Eunhyuk became friends.

 

Sungmin remembers the day of Eunhyuk’s birthday party that celebrated him turning eight years old. It would be the first time that Sungmin would be in the full company of the Lee bloodline, and his mother and father were already tense with caution as they arrived at Eunhyuk’s home.

 

There weren’t a lot of people there, just those who work for the bloodline and the family members who lived outside of the ancestral home.

 

Sungmin remembers being quiet and anxious due to his parents’ behaviour, so that when he met Eunhyuk for the first time, he had been completely mute.

 

Eunhyuk had been a bit cold and forced, and when Sungmin watched the male during the stiff and formal party, he was disappointed to see that Eunhyuk was also forcibly cruel at some moments.

 

But underneath the forceful cruelty he was seeing, Sungmin could see that innocence remained inside Eunhyuk.

 

Sungmin saw this in the little smile that Eunhyuk gave to Sungmin when he thought nobody was paying any attention to them when they were at the food table.

 

Looking back at that moment, Sungmin is saddened to remember that the smile Eunhyuk showed him was the last time he’s seen the male look innocent with repressing happiness.

 

The male no longer smiles in that way any more. His innocence and happiness was taken from him on the night of his birthday.

 

Sungmin doesn’t know the exact story, but he knows that he was drawn to Eunhyuk, despite the front the male had shown him, and also the stories that circulated his family.

 

After his parents took him home and he was left alone in his bedroom, Sungmin had curiously used his power to see if he could see how Eunhyuk truly lived.

 

His power alters his vision, so that when Sungmin meets someone’s eyes for the first time, he is given the option of learning their sight pattern. Learning this means that Sungmin is able to hack into their sight at any given time, so his power would work on the younger male, since he had mapped Eunhyuk’s eyes when they first greeted each other.

 

Sungmin didn’t really know what he was expecting in hacking Eunhyuk’s vision. He wanted to know if the things he had heard were true about living in that house.

 

Rumours of trained monsters lurking in the darkness of the house were the main thing he heard at his school, but his father refused to answer his questions. Now though, Sungmin would be able to see for himself.

 

But what Sungmin saw, froze him with horror.

 

Sungmin has forced his mind to erase some of the gore from the memory, but it still sickens him to this day.

 

Sungmin had caught the beginning of the transition of Eunhyuk’s innocence being taken from him.

 

“What are you thinking about?” Eunhyuk suddenly questioned, his voice a little bit tight with hesitance, and Sungmin realised that he was squeezing the poor male.

 

Eunhyuk hadn’t complained about the sudden tight embrace, but Sungmin still forced his muscles to release his hold on him as he herded Eunhyuk to sit on his bed.

 

“The day we met,” he answered him truthfully, and Eunhyuk nudged his shoulder gently in a scolding way.

 

“You mean the day you saw my family reveal the truth of my bloodline to me?” Eunhyuk muttered dryly.

 

Sungmin glanced at his friend, and saw a dull shadow of pain colouring Eunhyuk’s expression.

 

They’ve spoken about this moment countless of times, but it doesn’t change the fact that it still causes Eunhyuk pain.

 

From what Eunhyuk has shared with Sungmin over the years, is that he had been kept in the dark whilst growing up about how his bloodline lived and operated. Eunhyuk had grown up mimicking his brothers’ attitude of being cold and abrasive, thinking it was normal, which is what Sungmin had seen the first time they had met. It also explained why he still saw the innocence inside Eunhyuk.

 

But when Eunhyuk was forcibly shown how his family worked, the pain that Eunhyuk was subjected to wasn’t just physical, but also mentally and emotionally.

 

It was a lot for an eight year old to deal with, but Eunhyuk had to accept it, since more pain would come his way if he refused to accept his bloodline.

 

On the night of Eunhyuk’s eighth birthday, Sungmin witnessed Eunhyuk’s family initiate him into his roles within their bloodline.

 

And it changed them both.

 

 

_Sungmin settled into his bed a bit more comfortably, his heart was already racing with anticipation for what he was about to do._

_He closed his eyes, brought forward the link he had learnt from Eunhyuk’s eyes pattern, and used it to connect to Eunhyuk’s vision._

_The darkness behind his eyes lids vanished with a burst of bright indoor lighting that made Sungmin’s heart race a little bit faster with the show of success._

_Sungmin saw Eunhyuk’s reflection staring back at him, and frowned when Eunhyuk’s expression turned worried before their shared vision dropped down to look at the birthday card that Eunhyuk was holding._

_The card read: ‘Your birthday present lies behind the black doors in the foyer.’_

_Sungmin vaguely remembered seeing a set of black doors during his time at the party earlier this evening, but he didn’t know why Eunhyuk looked so worried._

_He continued to watch as Eunhyuk left what looked to be his bedroom, and Sungmin began to feel uneasy as Eunhyuk moved through the dark house that seemed to be abandoned of people._

_Eunhyuk was moving down the staircase now, his body moving slowly in a cautious manner, and Sungmin began to wonder if this was a good idea._

_Eunhyuk approached the doors that Sungmin had seen earlier, and he watched as Eunhyuk’s hand slowly raised to the silver panel beside them._

_Sungmin didn’t miss the tremble in Eunhyuk’s hand before it pressed against the panel._

_A beat of motionlessness, and Sungmin wondered if he had missed something to cause Eunhyuk to remain still._

_Sungmin’s power didn’t allow him to hear or feel, so he was relying on what he was seeing to judge what was going on, but it seemed that the beat of stillness was caused from shock, because since a second later, Eunhyuk was yanking his hand away from the panel._

_Sungmin’s brows furrowed as he saw the bright red burn that covered Eunhyuk’s entire hand, and was thankful that he couldn’t feel the pain the burn was causing Eunhyuk._

_The black doors suddenly opened and Eunhyuk scrambled backwards at the sight of two older males that Sungmin recognised to be Eunhyuk’s older brothers._

_Before Eunhyuk could blink, the men swept forward, grabbed Eunhyuk’s upper arms, and dragged him past the black doors in which the dim darkness waited beyond them._

_Sungmin was panicking, and he could only imagine how Eunhyuk was feeling as their vision took in the stone steps and walls as Eunhyuk was being dragged down into what Sungmin thought was basement, but after descending a few more feet, Sungmin realised that the rumours of Eunhyuk’s home having an underground section were true._

_Sungmin couldn’t get a good look at the smaller foyer they entered, nor could he see the next room well as Eunhyuk was whisked through them with someone holding Eunhyuk’s head down slightly, preventing them from looking._

_But they saw bars in the blue floor lights from the corner of their vision._

_Sungmin’s hands started to shake with fear as Eunhyuk was thrown against another set of black doors, and Eunhyuk used that chance to get a proper look at the room they were in, which confirmed Sungmin’s suspicions as he saw the cells._

_One of the male’s spun Eunhyuk to face the doors again, and the other forced Eunhyuk’s non-burned hand to touch the silver panel next to the doors. Eunhyuk instantly fought to not touch the panel, only to have the male force Eunhyuk’s hand to be burned by whatever lurked on the panel._

_There wasn’t a beat of stillness this time._

_As Eunhyuk frantically shook his newly burned hand, the doors opened, and Eunhyuk was led through them._

_And Sungmin’s vision went black._

_Sungmin’s eyes flew open, only to still see the darkness colouring his vision._

_He didn’t know whether to be relieved or terrified that he was still connected to Eunhyuk’s vision, but after five minutes of nothing but darkness in front of his eyes, Sungmin was beginning to grow afraid for the boy._

_Had he been knocked unconscious? Should Sungmin go and inform his father that something was wrong in the Lee household? But if he did that, his father wouldn’t be able to do anything and it would only get Sungmin into trouble for abusing his power and invading Eunhyuk’s privacy._

_A flash of light stunned Sungmin temporarily, making him blink rapidly at the sudden flashlight beam, but once his vision was accustomed to the change, Sungmin’s stomach contents nearly made an appearance._

_Eunhyuk was looking down, his hands were gripping the ground with his nails digging into the loose dirt while the flashlight illuminated the small splatter of blood that lay beneath him._

_Sungmin’s vision wavered, and more blood splattered onto the dirt ground._

_A quick look to his right into the darkness, and then Eunhyuk’s vision went spinning, disorienting Sungmin as he tried to understand what the hell was happening to Eunhyuk._

_It clicked into place when the light disappeared and red eyes loomed over Eunhyuk’s form._

_Sungmin may have been sheltered as a child, but he’s heard the stories of vampires being lost to their nature. He didn’t think that it would happen in this day and age, but as the monster and Eunhyuk fought, Sungmin was delivered with a fresh dose of fear towards this bloodline._

_Now that he knew the truth and more, Sungmin’s first instinct was to remove himself from Eunhyuk, but something stopped him._

_The same feeling Sungmin felt when he was at the party was pleading with him not to leave Eunhyuk, and that what he has seen will become important to not just Sungmin, but also to Eunhyuk as well._

_Sungmin remembered the little smile he’d seen from the boy, and made his choice._

Sungmin had stayed with Eunhyuk for the rest of the night. He witnessed Eunhyuk’s father speaking to Eunhyuk, and watched as the older male, Eunhyuk’s brothers, and four other older males threw the dying flashlight at Eunhyuk, before turning to leave him.

 

He and Eunhyuk watched as the group of males left through the black doors, the light flickering as it began to die, and watched as Eunhyuk’s father smiled at them as he shut them inside, the lock delivering a cold shock of fear through them.

 

Eunhyuk’s ‘birthday gift’ was a test.

 

The vampire creature had been ordered to continuously attack Eunhyuk – but not feed from him – because for the remainder of the night, that’s what happened.

 

As Sungmin helplessly watched, he grew to understand that Eunhyuk was different.

 

Eunhyuk never once went for the creature, despite the pain and injuries that it must’ve been giving him. The only time he hurt it was when he was pinned and needed to escape, and even then it was just enough for the creature to release him.

 

Sungmin wondered at first if this was an act of rebellion to his father’s twisted test, but it became clear that Eunhyuk didn’t like to inflict pain, even though he was being constantly attacked.

 

But there’s only so much a person can go through, and Sungmin unfortunately witnessed the moment where Eunhyuk broke down.

 

Sungmin remembers the spluttering flashlight lying forgotten on the floor as Eunhyuk pinned the creature to the floor.

 

Sungmin had refused to focus on the way the creature’s body has looked and instead focused on the droplets of water that dotted the dirt covered face of the creature.

 

It wasn’t sweat that was dropping down onto the creature’s face, but Eunhyuk’s tears.

 

Eunhyuk cried as he killed the creature with his bare, injured, and shaking hands.

 

Sungmin remembers the moment when the creature died, the black doors were opened, and Eunhyuk’s brothers came inside to collect the body.

 

Sungmin had thought that the test was over, but he was disgusted when one of Eunhyuk’s brothers began to beat Eunhyuk.

 

Sungmin hadn’t been able to stomach no more, and withdrew from Eunhyuk’s world.

 

Sungmin learnt later, when he managed to befriend Eunhyuk, that the reason why his brother did that to him was because Eunhyuk needed to be punished for crying.

 

“Do you ever regret seeing that and becoming my friend?” Eunhyuk whispered, bringing Sungmin away from his thoughts and memoires.

 

“Nope,” he answered his friend without any hesitation. “I didn’t become your friend just because of what I saw; I became your friend because of who you are. It’s unfair that you’re not allowed to be your true self, because if people knew about your kind heart, you wouldn’t be living a life like this.”

 

Sungmin glanced at his friend to see how his answer affected him, and saw tears running down his friend’s cheeks.

 

Without even thinking, Sungmin’s arms encased his best friend into a comforting side hug, and wished once again for that day where Eunhyuk would be free from his bloodline’s chains.

 

 

 

Sungmin paused, the crunching of the gravel driveway under his feet silencing as looked behind him to watch his parents car leave the school grounds.

 

He watched as the black car turned left, vanishing from his sight, and released the tense breath he’d been holding during the drive here.

 

His mother had been upset, not wishing to face that, once he was done with school, he’ll have to follow through with his father’s promise to Eunhyuk’s father, and his father had been silent, but the bear hug that he gave Sungmin before they left eased some of Sungmin’s unease.

 

He was alone now. His journey of becoming a fully fledged vampire and an adult was about to begin.

 

Was he nervous? Undoubtedly, but he was also eager to learn and grow.

 

The beams of a car’s headlights blinded him, and a black jeep came into view as it drove down the driveway, causing Sungmin to smile.

 

It looked like Jessica and Donghae had won their tug of war with her parents.

 

Sungmin left his own suitcase, and moved to greet Jessica as she quickly vacated the jeep and rushed to greet him with a beaming smile.

 

Sungmin playfully grunted as she slammed into him for a hug, and his smile widened as she pinched his shoulder.

 

“I’ll get your luggage, shall I?” Donghae’s teased as he easily carried two, large pink suitcases from the back of the jeep.

 

Jessica immediately tried to help her cousin with her apologies already escaping her, but Sungmin tightened his grip and drew her back into a spinning hug that sent her laughing.

 

“There’s no need to pout, Donghae.” Siwon’s voice drew Sungmin’s attention, and he stopped spinning to see the taller, well built male grab the suitcases from Donghae’s hands.

 

Donghae scoffed, and shoved his bodyguard away from him, making Siwon laugh as he bowed his head in greeting to Sungmin as he passed them.

 

“I think my little baby cousin wants a hug from you, Min.” Jessica stage whispered to him so that Donghae would hear her.

 

Donghae pulled a face that had both Sungmin and Jessica laughing.

 

“Where’s Tiffany?” Sungmin asked as Donghae walked over to them.

 

“She’s an hour behind schedule,” Jessica answered when Donghae just shrugged at him.

 

“She wasn’t expecting Sunny to refuse seeing her off, and you know that would only cause Tiffany to be upset, so she stayed behind longer to speak with her sister.” Jessica added as she curiously took in her new home.

 

Sungmin grabbed his suitcase as they moved further to the school, and shooed Donghae’s hands away when they reached out to carry it.

 

“How come you’re feeling so helpful tonight?” Sungmin demanded playfully.

 

“I do have this side to me,” Donghae huffed lightly, causing Jessica to snicker softly.

 

“Only when he wants something in return,” She translated her cousin’s words, and scurried away from them as Donghae mock charged at her.

 

Sungmin smiled at Donghae’s actions to put some distance between them and Jessica, and waited for the male to ask him his request.

 

They watched in silence as Siwon waited for Jessica at the open entranceway of the school building, and then a female vampire appeared beside the male with a warm smile fixing to her lips that Sungmin recognised to be the school nurse, Sooyoung.

 

After a quick glance back to make sure that Donghae was safe, Siwon went with Jessica and Sooyoung into the school.

 

Sungmin decided to break the silence by easing into the request that Donghae was no doubt about to ask him.

 

“You should know by now that you don’t need to ask for me to look out for her.” He told his friend with a shoulder nudge, his tone a little bit scolding and hurt.

 

“I know, but it will only comfort me more by hearing it out loud.” Donghae sighed, and Sungmin paused to stare at the younger male who was staring at the school with attentive eyes.

 

Even now, after all the years he’s known Donghae, it still touches Sungmin’s heart to see the love and protectiveness the younger male has towards his cousin.

 

“I’ll look after her, Donghae.” He promised, and Donghae’s whole body seemed to relax from the tension that Sungmin hadn’t been aware the male was carrying.

 

As Donghae continued to look for weaknesses in the school’s appearance and grounds, marking every bit to memory for when he undoubtedly join in a year’s time, Sungmin felt an all familiar presence just outside of the school gates.

 

Turning to look behind him, he saw Eunhyuk standing there.

 

“I guess your goodbyes didn’t go well?” Donghae questioned softly as he continued to look around the grounds with his back to Eunhyuk.

 

Sungmin shook his head. “He got summoned back home.” Sungmin explained, and Donghae’s face hardened with a look that Sungmin was all too familiar with, since he himself uses it whenever Eunhyuk is summoned to work for his bloodline.

 

“Wait here?” he asked as he once again dropped his suitcase.

 

Donghae shook his head, and he turned to look at Eunhyuk. “I’m done. Let’s go see him.”

 

“How come _you’re_ allowed past the school gates?” Eunhyuk demanded with a scowl that he fixed onto Donghae once they got near him.

 

“I asked.” Donghae’s tone was vague and trying too hard to sound innocent, causing both Sungmin and Eunhyuk to roll their eyes at their friend’s answer.

 

In Donghae’s terms, that meant he used his bloodline’s title to gain him and Siwon access for today.

 

“Spoilt brat,” Eunhyuk murmured, and since Donghae had moved to stand next to him, he was able to hit the back of Eunhyuk’s head at the comment.

 

“Guys,” Sungmin warned. Playful or not, he didn’t want to deal with two teenagers fighting over something so ridiculous. 

 

Usually it was he and Eunhyuk arguing like kids and Donghae playing the adult.

 

More cars started to arrive, and Sungmin glanced anxiously back to the school where he was no doubt late in reporting his arrival.

 

“I’m really sorry, but I’ll have to-” Sungmin began to say goodbye to them, but was cut off as Eunhyuk slammed into his side, his arms briefly wrapping around him in a quick, tight hug, before backing away from him and joining Donghae again, standing as if he hadn’t even moved a muscle.

 

All of this happened within seconds.

 

Sungmin’s throat went tight, and he breathed in deeply in order to curb the need to say goodbye to Eunhyuk properly, but unable to since they were in public where Eunhyuk was never allowed to show his true side.

 

A car horn beeped as it drove past them, and they all waved in greeting as Tiffany’s car drove down the driveway.

 

“It’s time for you to go, Sungmin.” Eunhyuk and Donghae spoke at the same time, which unnerved him to say the least, but also made it hit home that he wouldn’t be seeing them for a year.

 

“Don’t ever do that again,” he warned them as he pretended to be creeped out.

 

“Sungmin, are you coming?!” Tiffany called to him with excitement etched into her voice and face as she stood beside her car with her father unloading her luggage.

 

Sungmin nodded and began to move back onto the school’s ground.

 

The black jeep that had brought Donghae here was coming down the driveway now, and he glanced back at Donghae with a confused expression.

 

“Aren’t you coming to say goodbye to Jessica?” he asked him as Donghae nodded to someone behind him.

 

“Her room is secure and safe, as is the whole school.” Siwon’s voice came from behind him, and he turned to see the bodyguard in the driver’s seat as he pulled the jeep up beside them.

 

“If I step one foot in that building, I won’t leave.” Donghae chuckled as he moved to open the front passenger seat door, but he meant every word.

 

Before he got in though, he spun and wrapped Sungmin into a hug.

 

“Take care of yourself, hyung.” Donghae whispered into his ear.

 

Sungmin nodded, not trusting his himself to speak as Donghae moved away from him and got inside the jeep.

 

“Keep an eye on each other, okay?” Sungmin ordered as he spun to address Eunhyuk as well, and Donghae laughed as he shut the door.

 

“That’s a little hard to do when that person uses shadows as a form of transportation, but I’ll try.” he joked from the open window as Sungmin stared at the place where Eunhyuk had been, but was no longer there.

 

Sungmin listened to Donghae and Siwon’s parting greetings, and watched as the jeep pulled away from the school grounds and down the road away from him.

 

Tiffany’s scent floated towards him, her hand gently touching his shoulder.

 

“Just one year, Min.” She reminded him softly, and he nodded as he forced his feet to take him back into the path that he’d chosen.

 

“Just one year.” He agreed as they both walked back down the driveway.

 

One year he’d have to wait until he could have both of his friends here in the somewhat safe world of Park Academy.

 

Sungmin hoped that their time at Park Academy will not be a wasted effort in the hopes of escaping the demands of their world.

 

He hoped they weren’t about to make a mistake that would affect their future.


End file.
